Beyond Dreams Of The Desert
by NightDuchess
Summary: The vision of a stunning, exotic and untamed golden haired beauty on the surface of the desert earth in a man's eyes. Temari centric. Alt. pairing. possible GenmaTemari. Hinted ShikaTema.


Disclaimer: Masashi Kishimoto owns Naruto and corp.

BEYOND DREAMS OF THE DESERT

The vision of a stunning, exotic and untamed golden-haired beauty on the surface of the desert earth in a man's eyes. Her touches, her smiles and the way she dances in the breeze and under the setting sun of the red desert graces his nightly dreams. His Sand Goddess. His Desert Rose. Crack Fic.

**Author's Note:** The pairing for this fic is undetermined. It's up to you how you want to see it. Basically, it's a man's well-hidden and secret admiration for our favorite girl, Temari. By the middle till the end of this one-shot, you might be able to guess his identity. Enjoy! A fic inspired by Sting's Desert Rose. Try listening to it while you're reading this.

(P/S: No one has ever written about him and her together. Ever. Fans will freak out once they knew! Just kidding! Nyahaha….ardenilia runs off laughing. **Read at your own risk**)

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

**I dream of rain**

**I dream of gardens in the desert sand**

**I wake in vain**

**I dream of love as time runs through my hand**

I found myself traveling across the wide mysterious land. There were no other living creatures around. It was only myself. The only sound that I could hear was from my own breathing. My bare feet sunk into the massive amount of golden sand with every step that I took. The coarse grain bit onto every inch of skin that it found. I noticed that the sun was setting at one direction. It looked like the desert itself was consuming the King of the Day one at a time.

I dropped on both knees to the ground and my hands scooped up a handful of the sand before letting the slow breeze blew them away. The skies were getting darker and the sun's majestic rays were gracing me with its warmth and sympathy for the last few moments that it had. For the moon will arise and rule the land of the night. But I just stood there, as if in waiting. For something that I don't even know myself what it is. I felt like it was a necessity like water and the air that I'm breathing. Like a lost traveler, I was clueless of what am I doing here and where should I be going next?

Suddenly there was a strong gust of wind hitting me from one sole direction. Several strands of my light brown hair covered half of my face. But I do not care at all. As a sign of response, my body jerked up into a trance. I know and I could feel that the wind itself was calling out to me.

I ran to an unknown destination. My feet and my heart were in sync and I trusted my heart to lead us, not fearing of the possibilities or risks. In the same time, the current of air was getting stronger and I knew that I'm getting closer. Will I find the answer that I'm looking for if I took a few more steps forward?

And my heart said yes.

There, in front me was a scene that I had never witnessed before. There was a small water spot surrounded by shrubs. I could see that there were quite a number of wild lilies amongst the greeneries. There were no other moving being but it looked very much alive to me. It might have been something ordinary to most people but it captivated my heart right at that moment.

And that's when my eyes caught the silhouette of another. My lips opened as my breath stuck at my throat. The vision, beautiful than before had left me breathless.

It was her. The sunset brought out the colors of her deep turquoise eyes, its rays reflected the shine of her spiky golden tendrils in its normal quadruple ties. Her huge metal fan was spread open revealing each stars, as I remembered she called them. Her hands swing back and forth in perfect and controlled movements, producing a small yet murderous cyclone to the unfortunate victims. That was her element, the wind.

I am not afraid where I should be shaken. I was too enthralled to rationalize anything. My pace dropped slower but closer, approaching the uncertainty.

She was indeed a living proof of a creator's dream. She was different from the first time I saw her. Back then, she was just a teenager. Harsh, impatient, slightly arrogant yet uncomplicated. I realized that time, physical strength and tactical analysis was her strongest point. But now, she had developed into a vibrant and enticing young woman. The curves were more visible and the feminine lures had surfaced. She had more advantages than she might know and was fully aware of.

Is this some kind of an illusion? Are my eyes playing tricks on me?

**I dream of fire**

**Those dreams are tied to a horse that will never tire**

**And in the flames**

**Her shadows play in the shape of a man's desire**

A few rain drops landed on my face as I realized that the rain clouds had been making their way here. My face wrinkled into a frown. Such rain will ruin the perfect ambience. When I looked back at her, I was surprised to find her looking back at me. My heart skipped a beat. Should I run? Should I apologize?

She put her fan down to the ground. She did not give a damn about the weather that had turn into a heavy drizzle. Then she did the unexpected. She danced in the pouring rain. Her body sway to a rhythm that only she knew of. Her movements were graceful and mesmerizing. All the while without taking her eyes off me. That had made it more thrilling. She had me bewitched under her spell just by using her gaze.

Her delicate, dainty fingers undid each knot that was holding her hair in place. The small breeze blowing the free golden tendrils. The small downpour had started to soak everything in sight, including us. As she danced on the wet surface, the sun produced something that I could have wished for; her shadow.

Under the setting desert sun, her shadow embraced my body with every move that she made. Her slightly-tanned complexion shimmered under the orange sky. She seemed to be like a fallen angel dancing to her own grief of not being able to go back to heaven. And this angel elicited an intriguing sensation inside me. A sensation that had made me advanced towards her.

**This desert rose**

**Whose shadow veils a secret promise**

**This desert flower**

**No sweet perfume ever tortured me more than this**

In a few single steps, she was there in front of me. I could exactly sense the warmth from her body and I could hear her shallow breathing. She swung into an invisible circle that surrounded my stunned stature. The dainty soles of her feet carved a trail on the sand. The way she looked at me from behind those deep aquamarine eyes and the way her lips were carved into an ethereal smile justified my curiosity. She was haunting me. She was tempting me into an eternal damnation.

There was a strong yet sweet scent and I opened my lips to ask the angel but regrettably, no words came out. The rain was soaking through her and the lavender material she donned was clinging to her like a second skin. Before I knew it, one soft hand came up and swept across the outlines of my inquiring face. Her warmth seeped through my every nerve when her fingertips trailed along the outer lines of my shaking lips. It was indescribable with words but I believed that this might be what I've been searching for. But why her? Why her of all people?

I looked down at her calm, innocent demeanor as if telling that she did not hold the answer herself. Is she for real? Will I find that something from her? All these questions urged me to touch her. Both of my hands cupped her oval-shaped face in a swift but not too hasty. I was waiting for her consent. Her approval came in the form of her usual taunting grin. Then I stroke her cherry tender lips in appreciation as we were glued to each other's stare.

I leant down unhurriedly to her waiting lips until there was a small dangerous gap between us. Our warm breaths come together in a torturing means as we completed the other's breathing. I decided that I want to give in when I sealed her in a deep, slow kiss. I drank her up like she was the last drop of water in the barren earth. My mind stop comprehending at once when I clinched her body in a tight embrace because I was afraid of letting her go. In the pouring rain of the red desert, we stood like a pair of star-crossed lovers separated by time, opportunity and maybe dimension.

Suddenly, she tore herself away from my hold just before I started to fall deep into the alluring heady scent of her skin. She ran away and taunted me to follow as she let out a small giggle.

I clenched my teeth in sheer disappointment. She ignited my desire when she meant to leave it unfulfilled. At that moment she disappeared into the wisps of sandy wind and falling raindrops. The desert was the only thing I saw before everything vanished in an instant.

**And as she turns**

**This way she moves in the logic of all my dreams**

**This fire burns**

**I realize that nothing's as it seems**

I woke up to the sound of the striking clock. Now then I realized that I was in my own four-post bed having passed out after a few days of mission. I grunted as I opened my eyes dispassionately only to find the balcony door was thrown opened harshly by the strong chilly night wind.

Dammit. Everything had only been a dream. My friends would call me crazy but hell; she was bona fide in my dreams. She beyond doubt tasted and felt like no other.

But my mind told me that everything was just a dream and will always be a dream. And I pushed it away as a nuisance, a stupid imagination. So, I laid my head back in means of forgetting everything and took them as a child's play that was not worth pondering about. A tired body took over the justification of the mind. Such fantasy was hoped to be disposed when my eyes were closed.

Unfortunately, she appeared again and all through each nights that followed after. And every time we met, she would've stayed longer and longer.

That had somehow stirred my curiosity. Of all women or in this case, kunoichi, why would it be her? I recalled the first time we ever stood face to face with each other, she was rather eager and impatient to tear down the stadium with her giant weapon. Back that time, I couldn't agree more with the other boy who said that everything was so troublesome and that included her. She was a young girl, barely reached seventeen but withheld a strength and resilience of a mature woman. I guess, having to deal with two younger brothers with the youngest differed from average boys and being a daughter of a Kage certainly shaped her to be the person she was. She was an eye-catcher to boys around her age but unfortunately not to older men like me.

And then I asked to myself one night. Is the 'her' in my dreams were the hidden side of the real person or it was only a trick that my mind made up when I lay myself down to sleep every night? If it was, then I might not want to wake up from my dreams at all. It was too precious to let go.

In daylight, she was seldom to be seen but in my dreams, she was everywhere.

**I dream of rain**

**I lift my gaze to empty skies above**

**I close my eyes**

**This rare perfume**

**Is the sweet intoxication of her love**

Two years have passed by and in the middle of it, destiny kept deriding at me with the unanswered questions and the occasional chance to catch a glimpse of her. We may not crossed paths but I certainly heard a lot about her. I wasn't there when she sat for the Chuunin exam the year after and earned the rank justly. Soon after, I overheard during one night out with the guys that the Suna kunoichi had been appointed as a Jounin and officially regarded as a liaison between Konoha and Suna. Somehow, I felt relieved and maybe thankful that she succeeded in everything that she does. But I believed that we now stand on equal setting or maybe in her case, higher than I was.

Right now, I'm dragging my feet towards the Godaime's building to assist her with the paperwork or more like carrying them for her. My good pal Raido was beside me, talking about random stuffs that came into his mind. We walked through the streets and as soon as the entrance of the administration building came in view, I was thunder-stricken when I saw the uncannily familiar figure of the one person I've been thinking about before.

The navy blue kimono and the dark violet sash made her looked older but eye-catching all the same. She was walking along side Nara Shikamaru, the same boy she tended to kill during their first match against one another in the Chuunin exam. On the contrary, from the way they were conversing with each other, any sane people would be able to notice that there was something there. I had never seen her so animated about someone before but maybe that's because I never knew her that much in person. By judging the way the young man reacted to her, it may took some time before he would understand the look that she held within her eyes for him.

I swallowed bitterly once I came to resolute an awful fact;

She will always be forbidden to me. Her place was with someone else. Another man who deserves such greatness and precision. And me? I only own the 'her' in my dreams. Her tempting and haunting apparition that graced my nightly dreams was already enough. _In reality, we were merely strangers but in my dreams we were more than that._

I walked pass by her with no attempts to sneak a glance or to mutter a greeting. But still, destiny decided to try its luck with me that day when I caught the faint scent of wild roses with a tinge of vanilla. It stirred up my mind as I realized that it was hers.

**Sweet desert rose**

**Each shadow veils a secret promise**

**This desert flower**

**No sweet perfume ever tortured me more than this**

"Hey…"

I turned around only to see her face, smiling at me. I looked at her in beyond doubt, confusion. As I've said before, we were purely strangers. There was no way she could've remembered who I am throughout the years.

"Yes." The word came out calmly from my lips. The taste of cold metal had never felt so restricting before.

"How you've been doing Mr. Proctor?"

"…You still remember me, Temari-san?"

"Of course I do. I believed that we've crosses paths once in a while or maybe you were too blunt to notice."

My teeth gritted on the long piece of metal even tighter. Years have passed by and yet, her cynicism still remained the same. "Hnn…I remembered but maybe responsibilities just get in the way. Besides, to answer your question before, yes, I'm doing fine like usual."

Her grin grew wider but no words were spoken in reply. Only her turquoise eyes held my light browns in captive.

"I heard that you've been appointed as a Jounin just recently. Sorry if this comes a little late but in anyway, congratulations Temari-san."

"Thanks."

There was an unnerving silence following after. My lips were sealed shut by my heart was calling for her in an uncontainable beating. We just stood there, facing each other with different expression on our faces. The others were long forgotten. Her sweet scent lingered through my senses and before my mind started to betray me by recalling pieces of my shattered dreams, she came out with a spontaneous question for me.

"Don't you get tired of chewing that senbon?"

I smirked in return. "My answer is simple: Don't you get tired carrying that huge fan?"

There was a slight pause when she reflected upon my reply. "Of course not. It's my weapon."

"There, you've got your answers…" I saw Shikamaru looking at us with a slightly boring look but I could see that he was the least comfortable seeing another man talking to the golden-haired Jounin. "Do you have other questions, Temari-san?"

"Unfortunately no, Shiranui-san."

"Then, I'll be on my way now. Good day."

I turned around on my heels and started to walk away to my original destination.

"But wait! Will I see you around, again?"

I pose her a glance from the corners of my eyes. "I thought you said there were no more questions to ask?"

"I just wante- I mean, had to know. There's something about you, but I don't know what it is…"

"Will I see you around again?" I gave her back her own question for I knew that she would analyze that just like she always does. She was a smart woman after all.

"Huh?"

"That's my answer to you." With that sentence said, I continued walking forward. Not caring to turn around, not wanting to assess the unreadable expression on her face. Everything about her was a luxury I do not deserve and I intend to keep it that way. Maybe, this was the last time we would ever speak to each other. Ever again.

But I'm looking forward to meet you once more at the imaginary oasis tonight, Temari. I'll be there waiting even if it takes forever for I knew I'll keep coming back every night. You will always be the strong, wild desert rose that was not meant to be tamed. You would always be the reigning goddess ruling the golden sands and blessed them with your splendor.

**Sweet desert rose**

**This memory of Eden haunts us all**

**This desert flower**

**Its rare perfume**

**Is the sweet intoxication of the fall**

My sweet desert rose, we are years apart. I would not fit into your world, nor would I. I will fall down with my age or in my line of duty earlier than you when at that time you had only begun to build your life. Until then, it's better this way.

Although, if you would've said yes…

…maybe it won't hurt to try.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

End Notes: Don't kill me. Told you it was a crack fic. Of all the man in Naruto, why would I choose him? (scratches head)


End file.
